Lapband Poll

[formerlyfluffy]

Ok everyone over a year out join in on this one. I don't want to hear just from "band bashers". This has worked very well for some of you at this point, so I want to know how this worked for EVERYONE:

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot?
2. Did you have to have any unfills after that?
3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be?
4. How long can you stay full after a meal?
5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band?
6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"?
7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work?
8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band?

[Michelle J]

1) I never got there. My port flipped early out.

2)I had to have an unfill after having surgery to replace my port. (the surgeon added fluid during the surgery and I ended up much too tight)

3)Unable to answer that one.

4)Depends on what I eat. Usually 3-4 hrs max.

5)I've been banded 4 1/2 yrs

6)Yes. Solid proteins often get stuck.

7)No, not really.

8) No.

[redbabe08]

1- 8 months
2- several
3- no
4- then, 3/4hrs
5- had band shy of 4yrs
6- always kept a loose band, no food issues i can recall
7- no
8- no, sleeve is the restrictive surgery i needed; not what the band did to my body.

[Kim S]

1- Hmm, can't remember for sure. About 6 months for "sweet spot" which would go away as I lost weight and come back with another fill. By 12 months, didn't need any more fills.

2- I've had two unfills, one 18 months after hitting my sweet spot and another 12 months after that (with no fills in there at all)

3 - Yes, the sweet spot was as I felt it was advertised. More of a "sweet zone". Some days I can eat more than others but there is always some restriction. It varies with my cycle and with seasonal allergy issues.

4 - Usually 3-4 hours. If I've eaten at my meals I'm not hungry between meals. If I'm busy and don't get around to much for breakfast or lunch then I am hungry mid-afternoon.

5 - Got my band Dec. 05 so coming up on 7 years.

6 - No

7 - Yes

8 - Yes

[mindyntexas]

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot? About a year
2. Did you have to have any unfills after that? Yes Many
3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be? For the most part ?
4. How long can you stay full after a meal? ( Before my slips about 3-4 hours with a good fill)
5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band?
6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"? Yes
7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work? No not at all
8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band? no

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[grdngrl]

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot? Never reached, always hungry
2. Did you have to have any unfills after that? I had adjustments every month, always either too tight or too loose with very small adjustments
3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be? N/A
4. How long can you stay full after a meal? 2 hrs
5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band? 22 months
6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"? Yes, always
7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work? No
8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band? No

[scarlettbegonias]

1.never did
2.n/a
3.n/a
4. Until about half an hour after it had come back up....it always comes back up
5.4 years
6.YES always
7.no not at all
8.no,I actually asked after something else and believed the surgeon when he said I wasn't big enough I found out later that he didn't do that surgery and that's why he said I wasn't big enough....valuable lesson learnt!

[chicarita]

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot? - Had it when I was first operated on due to swelling. Then after my first fill got swollen again. After that, I chased that spot for 4 more years. Never found it again.

2. Did you have to have any unfills after that? Multiple fills and unfills

3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be? It actually was, yes. Could only eat a small amount and felt "full". However, it was pouch full, not stomach full.

4. How long can you stay full after a meal? Sometimes HOURS. Sometimes minutes.

5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band? I had it in for 4 yrs, 10 mos then revised to DS

6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"? It didn't at first, but for the last 3.5 years I couldn't eat anything that wasn't soft.

7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work? Not really. I know it works for some, but it didn't work for me.

8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band? Definitely not

[formerlyfluffy]

Wow! So sad to see how ineffective the band was for most bandsters! :-(

[Band to DS]

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot?
I never really got there. My body didn't tolerate the band. I was always either too tight
or too loose.

2. Did you have to have any unfills after that?
N/A

3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be?
N/A

4. How long can you stay full after a meal?
It varied - at times 4-5 hours, other times 1-2 hours.

5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band?
4 years, but I've been completely unfilled for the past 9 months due to esophageal
dysmotility. Finally having it removed in 13 days!

6. Does the band prevent you from eating healthy dense protein?
Yes. I had a hard time swallowing healthy foods like dense proteins & veggies. It
would get stuck, cause pain, & often come back up. I ended up eating soft food & junk
food because it was easier to swallow.

7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work?
Not at all. For me, it's been a complete waste of time & money. I got the band
because I believed the advertising. (My surgeon also repeated Allergan's marketing
spiel.) I'm not a big proponent of law suits, but I would jump at the chance to be part
of a class-action law suit. I was misled & manipulated into getting a device that had
little chance of working for me.

8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band?
Absolutely not.

[pumpkin]

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot?
My band was super tight from the very first day. The " Sweet Spot " doesn't exist.

2. Did you have to have any unfills after that?
Yes, I had many adjustments to find a spot that didn't cause me pain and discomfort...I never found it

3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be?
It never worked the way it was advertised to work.

4. How long can you stay full after a meal?
I was always hungry because I couldn't eat more then 1-3 bites. Many times I was starving and I couldn't swallow my own spit.

5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band?
Which band lol, I had my bands for almost 5 years before it eroded

6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"?
Yes, the band prevented me from eating dense protein 98% of the time.

7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work?
The manufacturers never mentioned that I would develop permanent nerve damage, chronic pain, and loss of quality of life, but hey at least I lost 92 lbs and was considered " a SUCCESS " right ?

8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band?
Of course not !

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